City ethics board fines Philadelphia School Partnership for lobbying

The Philadelphia Board of Ethics has fined the Philadelphia School Partnership, an education policy group, $1,500 for violating the city's lobbyist disclosure law.

The nonprofit partnership invests in traditional public, charter and private schools that it regards as innovative, as well as advocating for government policies that give school administrators more flexibility.

Shane Creamer, ethics board executive director, said the group should have registered in 2012 under a city law requiring disclosure of lobbying activities. That year, the partnership spent more than $14,000 on activities that included flying city and School District officials to Denver to visit a charter school.

"The partnership said in a statement it now understand that its activities amounted to lobbying under the city law, and appreciates the ethics board's cooperative approach in identifying its mistakes."
What they don't appreciate is getting caught!

Why is the partnership the only entity invovled in education debate that has to file lobbying disclosure?
What about Parents United, Action United/PCOC, PFT, etc?
They are all pushing for policy action by council, legisalture. In NY, the AFT paid Acorn to protest ed issues there. Is that were Action United gets its $$? Is it paid to provide "grassroots" support? We might know if they filed Philly lobbying disclosure.

Great question? How do you define great. The PSP has demonstrated unfettered influence as a minimum and certainly directed policy initiatives that are driven by the wealthy and their vision for the School District of Philadelphia. This process is as corrupted as it can be. Open your eyes, ears and minds. On second thought, keep obsessing over money and power.

PSP is a policy group, and must show where their money comes from and how it allows them to buy influence over future of education in Philadelphia.
Parents United, PFT, etc. are organizations formed by ACTUAL STAKEHOLDERS (parents, teachers, etc) to have their collective voices heard by SDP & PDE leadership, politicians and other decision-makers. They are very transparent as to the sources of their funding and as to how it is spent (especially the PFT which is regulated by a variety of State and Federal laws like the Landrum-Griffin Act of 1959).
If we are being honest, the PSP has an agenda (charters, vouchers, privatization, etc) and we as the residents and ACTUAL STAKEHOLDERS of the school district deserve to know who these educational carpetbaggers are funded by, who they are trying to influence, and for what purpose.

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